Tulsidas Jayanti

Saint Tusidas penned Ramacharitmanas in Awadhi language, a dialect of Hindi. Tulsidas Jayanti or Goswami Tulsidas Jayanti is the birth anniversary of this great saint and poet Tulsidas. It is held on the seventh day after ‘amavasi’ (waxing moon or Shukl Paksh) in the Shravan month (August).

This year in 2010 the date of Goswami Tulsidas Jayanti is August 16.

Tulsidas kept the main story of Valmiki Ramayan intact yet made changes in the beginning and end in Ramcharitmanas. He laid emphasis on bhakti in his version of Ramayana. According to the popular belief it is said that Tulsidas composed Ramayana as per the guidance of Hanuman.

It is accounted that Tulsidas wrote twelve books and the most famous is the Ramcharitmanas. The major literary work and couplets written by him in Hindi are very popular and thus paid a major contribution towards development of the language.

The devotees visit temples of Lord Ram and Hanuman on Goswami Tulsidas Jayanti. The Ramcharit Manas is read with pious feeling on the day. Several seminars and symposiums are arranged on the teachings of Tulsidas are also held on the day in North India on this auspicious day. Apart from this, Brahmins are fed.

Sadbhavana Divas

Sadbhavna Divas is celebrated annually all across the country on August 20. The day is also referred as Harmony Day. Late Prime Minister of India, Rajeev Gandhi is commemorated on this day as Aug 20 marks the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister. 

 The literal meaning of Sadhbhavna “having good feelings for others” and this was only the mission of Rajiv Gandhi government. As he believed in peace and harmony all around thus celebration of Rajiv’s birth anniversary as Sadhbhavna Diwas is a step towards his left over mission.  

Various cultural festivals and competitions are organized on Sadhbhavna Diwas in almost all states of the country. Sadhbhavna Diwas is also associated with the conservation of greenery, preservation of natural beauty and protection of environment, conservation of natural resources. Main theme of different programs on Sadhbhavna Diwas is to raise awareness about these crucial environmental concerns among country men. Plantation is also highly encouraged on this day.

Countrymen pay homage to great Indian leader and former prime minister of the country.  All govt. dignitaries, ministers, congress party members and members of Gandhi Family including Sonia Gandhi, president of Congress party, pay tribute to Rajiv Gandhi at Rajiv Gandhi’s memorial Veer Bhumi

The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation distributes Rajeev Gandhi National Awards to recognize the excellence achieved by Indians in different fields every year. This year 2010 will mark the 66^th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

 

World Breastfeeding Week

Mother’s milk is the best nourishment. Children are most vulnerable. The nutrients in mother’s milk gives protection to babies against diseases like diarrohea and pneumonia which are the major cause of infant mortality. So we can clearly see the importance Breastfeeding as a life saving intervention as the risk of mortality increases by six times in breastfed babies less than 2 months of age.

Across the world, 120 countries celebrate World Breastfeeding Week every year from 1 to 7 August to persuade breastfeeding for improving the health of babies around the world. WHO and UNICEF policy-makers shaped the Innocenti Declaration in August 1990 to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. World Breastfeeding Week is endorsed by UNICEF, WHO and FAO.

According to WHO a baby should be breastfeed until he/she is six months old, and should be continued along with the additional nutritious complementary foods up to two years or beyond.

Objectives of World Breastfeeding Week

•    The entire week dedicate attention to the imperative role that breastfeeding plays in global crisis.

•    WBW lays stress on the need for dynamic defense and support of breastfeeding before and during emergencies.

•    World Breastfeeding Week is a good time to inform mothers, breastfeeding advocates, communities, health professionals, governments, aid agencies, patrons, and the media on how they can contribute their support to breastfeeding before and during a disaster.

•    WBW marshal action and foster networking and alliance between the people skilled in breastfeeding and those involved in emergency response.

Kazri Teej/Badi Teej

Introduction:

Jhapan Mela

Jhapan Mela is celebrated all over the Western part of the Bengal, the fair is celebrated in the honor of the serpent-deity Manasa, the daughter of Lord Shiva.  The main festivity is observed at Vishnupur in the district of Bankura. Jhapan is the most popular fair in western region of West Bengal.

It is believed that fair was first organized in 17th century in order to welcome King Bir Hambir Malla on his triumphant return after the battle but the trend is still practiced and celebrated with immense pleasure and joy in Vishnupur.

Spectacular and amazing performances of snake charmers with live snakes are the major attraction of the fair. The snake charmers display tricks and astonishing acts with the live, poisonous snakes on decorated open platforms. Snake Charmers bring live venomous snakes of different species in decorated cane made baskets for stunning performances like Cobras, pythons, vipers, rat snakes, kraits and flying snakes.

The Jhapan Mela is celebrated on the last day of the Bengali month of Sravana or in mid August.

Sravan Jhula Mela

Shravan Jhula Mela is one of the major fair of Uttar Pradesh. The fair of Sravan Jhula is usually observed in the Hindu month of sravan. This fair enacts the playful spirit of the heavenly deities. The fair is observed on third day of the shukla paksh of Shravan month.

Devotees place idols of the deities (especially of Rama, Lakshman and Sita) in swings or Jhula in the temples. Idols of deities are also taken to Mani Parvat in the procession of devotees.

After reaching to Mani Parvat, the idols are made to swing from the branches of the trees. Later the deities are brought back to temples. The mela lasts till the end of the month of Shravan.

 Shravan mela will begin from August 12.

Thirunakkara Arattu

Kerala has always been quoted God’s own country; its lush green surroundings give a cool and soothing sight to everyone. There is harmony among all the communities of the state. Its rich culture and heritage is a pleasure.

Kerala is the land of high festivities and cheer. Many festivals are celebrated in this beautiful land. One of the famous temple festivals, Thirunakkara arattu is celebrated at Thirunakkara Mahaeva Temple located in the heart of Kottayam district of Kerala. Mahadeva is the presiding deity of the temple.

The passionate celebration continues for ten days and concludes with the bathing ceremony of lord Mahadeva called ‘ARATTU’.

A string of nine majestically ornamented and decorated elephants accompany the idol of the lord Mahadeva for bathing in the noon.

They are accompanied by drummers and dancing flock of people.

The mystic traditional dance of Kerala, Kathakali forms an important part of the celebrations. The beautifully and colourfully dressed and masked Kathakali dancers perform all night long on third and fourth night.

Other dances like Mayilattom (peacock dance), Velakali and motif processions are also showcased in the temple compound.

The fêted Mahadeva Temple is situated on the Thirunakkara Hill of the Kottayam town and is one of the important Shiva temples famous for its historical importance, antiquity, sanctity and also for its magnificent traditional architecture.

The grand festival "Arattu Utsavam" starts from the 1st day of Meenam month of Malyalam calendar. That falls in March-April of Gregorian calendar.

Thousands of people, irrespective of caste or creed attend this festival.

Various industrial and agricultural products are displayed and traded in the shops of the fair held in connection with the Utsavam. The cultural programmes and variety entertainments staged during the festive days are the highlights of the festival.

Time for celebration

The grand festival "Arattu Utsavam" starts from the 1st day of Meenam month of Malyalam calendar. That falls in March-April of Gregorian calendar. Thousands of people, irrespective of caste or creed attend this festival. This year the festival will start from March 15 and end on March 24.

Getting there

Rail

Nearest railway station is Kottayam which is a few minutes drive from the shrine.

Air

Cochin International Airport is the nearest airport which is about 76 km away from Kottayam.

Taj Mahotsav

Introduction: 

A ten-day event, the Taj Mahotsav at Agra is a culturally vibrant platform that brings together the finest Indian Crafts and cultural nuances. Starting on 18th February each year in Shilpgram, the Taj Mahotsav is a much-awaited event. It is a festive introduction to India and Uttar Pradesh. India's extensive arts, crafts and culture are on display. Folk music, shayari (poetry) and classical dance performances as well as elephant and camel rides, games and a food festival, all form a part of the festivities.

Ten Days Carnival

The Taj Mahotsav is a non-stop 10 day carnival held annually at Shilpgram, near Tajmahal. The impressive festival commences with a spectacular procession inspired by Mughal splendor.

Bedecked elephants and camels, drum beaters, folk artists and master craftsmen together recreate the glorious past of the Mughals.

The Taj Mahal Mahotsav area becomes a live culture, crafts and traditions. It is a great opportunity for legendary artisans to display their exquisite works of art. Marble of course rules the festivities each year for obvious reasons.

Besides these, crafts include wood carvings from Saharanpur, brass and other metal ware from Moradabad, handmade carpets of Badohi, the pottery of Khurja, chickan-work of Lucknow, the silk of Banaras and much more.

Indian festivities can never be complete without the preparation of exotic cuisine. Some of the best and richest foods are available during this time.

Add to this the soul-stirring performances from folk artists of various states casting a spell on the visitors. Throughout the Taj Mahotsav, one can experience a profusion of folk music and dances of Dundelkhand, 'Nautanki' (Drama), 'Sapera' dance of Rajasthan, Lavani of Maharashtra. performed just the way they used to be centuries ago. Visitors join in with the folk dancers enjoying swinging to a different tune and dance style.

The Taj Mahotsav is truly India at her best with a glimpse of her rich heritage and extraordinary legacies.

Time to Celebrate

The Taj Mahotsav is a non-stop 10 day carnival held annually at Shilpgram, near Tajmahal. The Mahotsav starts on 18th February each year and continues upto 27th February.

How to reach

Agra is located about 204 km south of Delhi. The city of Taj, Agra can be reached by Air, Rail and Road easily. 

By Air

Agra airport is 7 km from the city center. Major Indian airlines operate daily flights to Agra and back.

By Road

Idgah bus stand is the main bus stand of Agra, from where regular buses are available for nearly all the major cities as Delhi, Jaipur, Mathura, Fatehpur-Sikri, Mathura etc.

By Rail

Agra has a good network of railway. The main railway station is the Agra Cantonment station. Agra is well connected by rail to Delhi, Varanasi and cities of Rajasthan. Luxuary trains like Palace on Wheel, Shatabdi, Rajdhani, and Taj Express are also available to reach Agra.

Uthralikavu Pooram

Another illustrious temple festival of south India is Uthralikavu Pooram celebrated in Sree Ruthira Mahakalikavu Temple, Parithipra, in Vadakkancherry, Thrissur District of north Kerala. The temple is dedicated to the mighty Goddess Kali.

 The festival is held annually in the Malayalam month 'Kumbham' or February/March. The festivity continues for eight days.

The elephant processions in the gala are the main highlight all through day and night. Pooram day is celebrated on eighth and last day; procession of twenty one elephants caparisoned with beautiful ornaments along with Panchvadyam and Pandimelam is overwhelming.

These traditionally decorated elephants line up in the ground with mahouts sitting atop them and hold colourful parasols and swaying venchamarams (white tufts) and Aalavattams (peacock feather fans).

The cultural fare during the festival includes temple and folk art performances which provide magical spectacles to the viewers. The colorful events along with rituals and folk art performances in the evenings cast a spell to everyone. The glow of the traditional temple torches called Theevatti provides startling view. The festivities end with the spectacular all-night pooram pageant on the last day, the highlight of the festival. The pageant and festivities lasts until dawn and draws to a close with brilliant fireworks.

Time to celebrate

The festival is held annually in the Malayalam month 'Kumbham' or February/March. The festivity continues for eight days.

Event Date: 02 Mar 2010

Getting there

Parithipra is just 2 km from Vadakkancherry on the way to Shornur.

Nearest railway station: Vadakkancherry.

Nearest airport: Kochi international airport, about 52 km from Thrissur town.

Vishu

Like most parts of India, festivals in Kerala are an integral part of the social and cultural structure of the state and festival time is the best time to plan one's travel to Kerala. In Kerala, every community, every religion has something to celebrate about all through out the year.

Vishu is one of the important festivals of Kerala. It comes in the month of April usually on the 14th. According to the traditional Malayalam calendar, it is the 1st day of the first month Medam of the New Year. Traditional rituals are followed to bring in another year of prosperity.

Vishu is one of the most popular festivals of Kerala. Vishu falls on the first of Medam (March-April), which is the Malayalam New Year's Day. Since it is considered propitious to view good things on this day for year round good fortune, Vishu morning is an important time. The heart of this festival of Kerala is the preparation of the kani (the lucky sight or gift).

The custom of preparing the kani has been followed for generations. The women take a large dish made of bell-metal (uruli), arrange in it a grantha (palm-leaf manuscript), a gold ornament, a new cloth, some flowers from the Konna Tree (Cassia fistula), some coins in a silver cup, a split coconut, a cucumber, some mangoes and a jack-fruit. On either side of the dish are placed two burning lamps with a chair facing it. Family members are taken blindfolded and then their blindfolds are removed and they view the Vishu Kani. As in other Indian festivals, a great feast at home is the high point of celebrating Vishu in Kerala.

  

World Ozone day

World Ozone Day is celebrated every year on 16th September since 1995. This Day marks the importance of Ozone layer and its role in the environment. The United nations General Assembly has designated this Day to reflect the adoption of Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the Ozone layer.

There are numerous activities and programs organized to spread awareness about the global phenomenon of Ozone layer depletion. All member nations of the Montreal protocol take this opportunity to take some concrete steps at their national level in accordance with the aims and objectives of Montreal protocol.

Ozone and its Depletion

The primary source of energy requirements on earth is the Sun. The sunlight reaching Earth contains three main radiations:

* Infrared
* Ultraviolet
* Visible.
 

Ultraviolet light is an electro-magnetic radiation that has wavelength smaller than that of visible light. Harmful effects of UV (ultra violet rays) include:

    * Direct exposure to ultraviolet radiations cause sunburn, skin cancer and premature ageing of skin.
    * Direct gazing of ultraviolet radiations is hazardous to the eyes, and exposure can cause welder's   flash (photokeratitis or arc eye) and may lead to cataracts, apterygial, and pinguecula formation.
    * Many popular polymers used in consumer products often get degraded with exposure to Ultra-violet radiations. Special UV absorbers should be used to protect them from attack, more so if they are supposed to be used in outdoors.

It is Ozone layer that absorbs 93 % of the harmful, high frequency Ultra-violet radiations. The layer was discovered in 1913 by Charles fabric and Henri Buisson. This layer is mainly located in the lower portions of the Stratosphere.
 

The thickness of Ozone layer varies across different regions, it is less dense above the equator and this density increases increases while moving towards the poles. The amount also varies with season, as the amount is more in winters as compared to summers. 

Ozone layer depletion: 

The Ozone molecules (O3) can be damaged by free radicals like hydroxyl, chlorine, bromine, and nitric oxide. There are many sources of production of these particles. While, there are many natural sources that automatically produce these radicals, there are certain artificial compounds like chlorofluorocarbons and bromoflurocarbons that have tendencies to damage Ozone molecules. 

These radicals have capacity to rise above the stratosphere and each radical is then free to initiate and catalyze a chain reaction capable of breaking down over 100,000 Ozone molecules. 

Unfortunately, with the growing industrialization and commercialization, many products and processes release these radicals in the atmosphere and there number is exponentially increasing. Inspite of this basic chemical knowledge, all modern appliances like refrigerator, fire extinguisher, air conditioners use chloroflurocarbons in them.

Ozone-facts

    * From 1956 to 1970 the density of the Ozone layer was nearly 280 to 325 doveson which in 1994 got reduced to mere 94 doveson. The density has been on a decline since then.

    * The recent report of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that Earth's temperature has increased by 0.74% in the past hundred years. Its effects are disastrous like:


   1. Unexpected increase in the sea level that can submerge low lying regions including UK
   2. The melting of glaciers like Himadri in India, which will first result in floods and then a long lasting drought
   3. Exposure to ultra-violet rays can up the risk of cancers
   4. Unexpected climatic changes   
  
    * Data from NASA's Earth-observing Aura satellite show that the Ozone hole peaked in size on Sept. 13’2007, reaching a maximum area extent of 9.7 million square miles – just larger than the size of North America.

    * The Antarctic Ozone hole was discovered in 1985 by British scientists Joesph Farman, Brian Gardiner, and Jonathan Shanklin of the British Antarctic Survey.

    * On September 12, 2008, the Antarctic Ozone hole reached its maximum size for the year. The Ozone hole covered about 27 million square kilometers, making it larger than North America, which is about 25 million square kilometers. Though larger than it was in 2007, the 2008 Ozone hole was still smaller than the record set in 2006. 

Preventions

Ozone layer is vital for mankind. There are many functions that it performs which otherwise would leave disastrous consequences. Unfortunately, over the past few years the Ozone layer has been depleting and human greed for industrialization is a big factor behind it. The consequences are all there for everyone to observe. It’s not too late, and an initiative like World Ozone Day is a novel step towards spreading awareness and taking little steps towards this issue. Some of the basic steps are:

   1. Planting of more trees that can absorb carbon-di-oxide.
   2. Saving energy.
   3. Using eco-friendly products and goods.
   4. Spread more awareness at local levels as these small steps can cumulatively  produce drastic impacts.